HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Authorities in Hollywood say a man disguised as a city worker told an elderly woman her pipes needed to be flushed out, for a fee, but all he wanted was to get his foot in the door.
Once the man made his way into her Hollywood home, the victim said he stole precious jewelry that had strong sentimental value.
That 83-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified, spoke with Local 10 News about the harrowing ordeal that happened on Sunday night.
“It was about 5:30 in the afternoon and he banged really loud on the kitchen window,” she said.
According to the victim, it was a white male with an average build and height who was wearing a gray shirt and khakis. She said he came through the alley and knocked on her back window, claiming he had to clean out her pipes to avoid flooding from all the weekend rain, so she let him in. He instructed her to turn the water on and off.
Before he left, he asked for a bogus payment, claiming it was a city requirement.
“I said, ‘Well, I don’t have any money.’ He said, ‘OK,’” she explained.
The longtime resident just knew something wasn’t right, so she called her daughter.
“My daughter called the police and she explained,” the woman said.
Hollywood police moved quickly to get the information out to the public because the person who pulled off the scam is still out there.
“As far as we know, this is the only one, but the way he’s targeting elderly people, they may not know that they are victims yet,” said Hollywood Police Officer Christian Lata.
While this burglar didn’t get away with money, and the victim is physically OK, emotionally, he stole a lot.
“I have a little heart-shaped earring,” the victim said. “They were given to me by my husband many years ago.”
Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.